A Time For Everything
by CuriosityComplex
Summary: Jane looks after a young Maura who is awe of her babysitter. Keeping it professional though, nothing eventuates from this adolescent crush. Years later though, they meet once again at the precinct as colleagues and their relationship is finally permitted to evolve into something more. - Rizzles. -
1. Chapter 1

**NB:/ Credit to Ab an unregistered visitor for the prompt. Thank you kindly!**** I hope it reaches your expectations.**

**As for the rest of you, I would like to introduce you to a new Rizzles fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear any feedback you might have, good or bad.  
>Or, if you just want to say hi, feel free to message me on here or follow me on Tumblr (curiositycomplex).<strong>

**Hope you are all very happy and well. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Joyous Kwanza. **

_Disclaimer:  
>I do not own, nor did I create, any of the following copyrighted characters. They are the property of TNT and Rizzoli &amp; Isles and its representatives. <em>

* * *

><p><em>- There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. - <em>

"Mother, please, I am twelve. I am perfectly capable of being left in the house alone. Besides, it's not even like I would be alone! Heaven knows there's always a maid around here somewhere, even when you and father are away!" A young Maura pleaded to her mother after hearing that she still plans to inflict a babysitter upon her when they go away.

"Sweetie, you know full well that is not the maids' duties to look after you when your father and I aren't around." Constance responded in an unprovoked tone, despite her attempts to display her care.

"But that's just it, mother!" She refutes.

Constance cuts her off before she can continue with, "Maura, do not start your sentences with 'but'." It seems as if Maura's intelligence matters more to her than her happiness does.

"Eugh!" She groans. "Mother," she says in an attempt to reclaim stable ground and win over her mother with maturity, "I am now twelve years old. I am tidy and have access to people who cook. I will even help with the cleaning." She bargains.

"Maura," her father chimes in. "You're mother and I are simply concerned for your safety and welfare. We know you can look after yourself," he lies, "but we want to maintain a social side of your life too. We want someone here to talk to you when we can't," he cleverly reasons without belittling Maura's abilities too much. "Now, your mother and I have thought long and hard about this, and we will not be changing our minds."

Although her attitude has softened a little since her father began speaking, she is still not particularly happy with the circumstances. "Fine," she says with a huff. "May I be excused to my room?"

Her father nods before lifting the newspaper up to his eyes again, smugly dismissing her.

••••

Maura has been studying since she arrived home from school. This evening is the one that her parents are to be leaving for the airport. Their trip is only to last a week as they dealt with business in Hong Kong. Admittedly, the work was mostly for her father, and her mother was simply going along as she sometimes did for a chance of a break. Not from Maura, but simply from the stress of her workplace, though to Maura this couldn't be further from the truth. She knew her parents loved and cared for her, - At least, she thought that's what she was supposed to believe, - but she always felt a little isolated from them. She always felt it was a challenge to be as she wanted at school and as she was expected at home, and couldn't understand why these two personas were mutually exclusive.  
>She heard three distinct voices coming from downstairs. One was her mother's, and one was certainly her father's (though, he spoke few words), and the third was an unfamiliar one that she couldn't seem to identify. She made her way to the hall where she peered down through the gaps in the hand-carved wooden railing. From where she was she could see the backs of both her parents and appeared to a black wavy creature moving in rhythm with the words she was hearing. With respect, she could only see about 2cm of it.<p>

Quietly heading down the stairs, she fixed her clothes and hair at the prospect of a stranger in the house. Reaching the ground floor, she softly uttered, "I just came downstairs to get a glass of water." As she finished the last word she looked up passed her parents to see the most beautiful girl she had ever laid eyes upon. And with that, she was stilled, eyes fixed on the dark brown eyes and endless amount of lustrous hair before her. And that wasn't even mentioning the rest of her beautifully toned and lengthy body.

"Maura, don't stare," her mother tried to say subtly.

These words quickly pull Maura out of her fixed state and she shakes her head rapidly as if to shake off a feeling. "My apologies," she says letting a small shy smile show.

"Maura, this is Jane. She will be taking care of you in our absence," her father said politely.

"Um, hello Jane." Suddenly she doesn't seem bothered by the fact that she has a babysitter.

"Hi there, it's nice to meet you," the tall figure says holding out her right arm.

She nods politely in acknowledgement and reaches out her hand rather limply.

"I think your parents are about to head off. Would you like to show me to where I'll be sleeping?" She says with a smile attempting to engage the young girl before her.

"Ah!" Constance interrupts, "Do we get a goodbye before you go frolicking off?" She says with a smirk.

"Of course," she says, turning back towards her parents. "Goodbye mother, goodbye father. I hope you have a lovely and safe trip." She gives them each a hug that to an outsider would seem to lack any sort of real emotion. Jane doesn't seem to notice though. Either that or she is just being very polite about it.

At dinner that evening, Jane is somewhat surprised at the service of the maids and cooking staff. She was informed that this would be the case, but it was still a new experience for her. The closest thing she's ever had to a servant was when her brothers' had lost bets to her and made slave for a day. And they really weren't very good at it. "So, this is what it's like at your house all the time?"

"What do you mean?"

Jane rolls her eyes ever so slightly at the typical rich kid who isn't aware of what they've got. "I mean, do you always have people waiting on you hand and foot?"

"I suppose," she said shyly, noticing Jane's discontentment. "Really they're just here because it's what my parents want. There are so many things I want to do when I get older, and they don't involve house servants."

A little impressed, but more intrigued, Jane asked, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Maura wriggles up in her chair so that she is sitting up straight, knowing that she's got the brunette's attention. "Well, I'd certainly like to travel." Maura pauses, trying to gauge Jane's response. "To Paris, for example. I've read so much about the geography and the culture. I think it would be spectacular to experience… on your own." She said as she glanced down an pushed the food around on plate with her fork.

It was at that moment that Jane realised Maura wasn't just a typical rich kid. She really was just like any other kid trying to make their way. And so, on that first night, Jane developed a newfound respect for the little girl she thought she'd hate.

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><p><strong>Hey all, so thank you kindly for reading the first chapter of "A Time For Everything". I'd really love any feedback you might have, good or bad. Most of all though, I just really hope you enjoyed it and it gave you something to do to pass some time.<strong>

**Happy to hear from you.**  
><strong>Hope you're very happy and well.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_- A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing – _

Maura's eyes light up as she exits the school and sees Jane leaning against her car in wait for her out the front.  
>"Hello Jane!" She smiles widely, though she tries to hide her true level of excitement. "I didn't know you were picking me up from school today." Her eyes are still in a fixed grin as she waits in anticipation of anything Jane has to say in response.<p>

"Hey kid. Yeah, I had a free period this afternoon so I thought I'd swing by and pick you up." Jane smiles.

Maura isn't sure, but she is happy to live in hope at the thought that Jane sort of seems a little excited to be there as well. "That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you," she said promptly as if it were automatic.

"So what do ya wanna do?" Jane nudges, "It the last night without the parents." She winked.

Maura new that Jane meant nothing by it, but to her it felt like she was the only one who got to see that wink. That smile. And so, as she had been for nearly a week, she was overwhelmed with happiness, although she could feel this annoying sense of dread in the back of her mind. "Hm," she pauses, "Well, you are 17, correct?"

"18," she says smiling though she's a little unsure of where this is going.

"18, I see." Her eyes are squinting a little as if she's so deep in some outrageous idea that requires all her focus. "Well then, what do typical 18 year olds do after school? I suppose studying would be important."

Jane smiles kindly. "Yeah, we study, I mean it is our last year n' all. But ya know, we hang out. Eat pizza or go to the mall. Watch tv or movies or whatever." Jane still finds herself a little surprised when Maura feels a need to ask about social situations, like she's never experienced them. "Same stuff you probably do." She smiles again.

Maura is intrigued by Jane's answers, but finds herself looking down at her feet suddenly feeling like she hasn't accomplished any of these things.

"But don't worry," Jane says, picking up on Maura's uneasiness. "You'll have all your teens to do all that crap."

Jane smiles genuinely and Maura no longer feels down, at least for the moment. "Which of those activities would you most like to do this afternoon?" She smiles happily, hopeful that any activity can be great as long as Jane Rizzoli is involved.

"How about we go back to your house, we can watch some tv, do some homework and then I'll order us some pizza for dinner?" Jane smiles keenly.

"That sounds lovely," she says nodding vigorously.

••••

"That pizza was _so_ good," Jane says before letting a drawn out moan leave her body.

"It was quite delicious. I really have had a lot of fun this afternoon, and all week really." Maura's smile is polite but her hazel eyes are hopeful.

Jane just smiled in response as she slumped down on the lounge.

Unsure of how to continue, Maura began to ramble. "Usually my parents would leave me here with some elderly woman who smells like vanilla and requires me to retrieve things for her after she has sat down. I'm not sure she could protect me if it ever came to it. You, though, have been a lot of fun, and you are so polite and friendly. You are far more interesting too!" Maura said, starting to feel a little rude to have said it though.

"Don't worry," she winked. "I won't be telling anyone you think old people are boring," she said laughing a little.

Maura smiled shyly. "Do you think, maybe, you'd like to catch up sometime? Not as my babysitter, I mean."

Jane smiled hesitantly, knowing that her next words must tread lightly. "Sweetie, we'll get to hang out next time you're parents go away or something. And they've got my number, so if you need anything; like help with your homework, not that _you'd_ need it, they can call me." She smiled politely, hoping so much not to have crushed the young girl in her attempts to keep things professional.

Maura let out a small breath and a sigh, before responding. "I understand," She tried to smile. "I think it's probably time I went to bed. Sleep well, Jane. Thank you again."

_Even when she's upset, she's still proper_, Jane thought. She felt awful, but assured herself that it was the right decision. Besides, it was just a silly crush and Maura seemed resilient. So, she left it at that trying not to let the thoughts drive her insane.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is just a short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it.<strong>

**I know that not much detail has been explored in regards to when they are both young, but I intend to get more involved in the story when they are older.**

**Any comments or feedback, please write me a review. I love hearing your thoughts and hearing from you guys in general.**

**Hope you're all happy and well.  
>Do take care and keep smiling, kids. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

_- A time to tear down and a time to build –_

"Rizzoli!" Korsak yells from across the room. "Caught a case. Floater in the river turned up."

"Where at?" She replied professionally, as she holstered her gun to her hip.

"The Charles."

"Alright, I'll grab a coffee if you want to get the car?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you downstairs," Detective Korsak said as he left the room.

Jane heads downstairs towards the café to get a coffee for both Korsak and herself. As she exits the elevator she notices a woman standing across the room at the entrance to foyer. She can't put her finger on it but she is certain she knows her.

••••

"Thanks," he said taking the coffee from Jane.

"No worries." She says casually. "Hey, did you see anyone familiar, like from an old case or something at the precinct before we left?" She queries with an undeniably perplexed look.

"Mm… No, I don't think so. Why?" He asks.

"Huh… No reason. So what's the case?"

••••

"Alright, so I'll go down to the morgue to see what the ME's got for us." Jane says professionally.

"Okay," Frost says. "Oh, don't we have a new ME?"

"Yeah, I met her this morning. She seems nice." Korsak says.

"A woman? Well, it's about time." Jane says in a real 'girl-power' kind of way. "Anyway, I'll let you guys know what _she _has found."

Jane's never really been super close with any of her friends, particularly the girls. She found it hard to relate at times, and would often be written off as a tomboy which apparently made her incapable of getting along with other girls. At least, that was her experience of it so far. Whether she admits to it or not, the fact that she always been confident has made her seem aggressive to some of the more girly girls, which didn't exactly help with her reputation. She never shied away from meeting new people though, guys or girls, as long as she was in the mood for it. Sometimes, all she really wanted to be left alone. But, I suppose everyone feels that way from time to time. Everyone deserves a chance though and Jane, of all people, believed that with her whole being.

Walking through the morgue doors, she sees a familiar face. "Hey Susie, 'hear we've got a new doc?"

Susie nods, and gestures towards the other room where a light brown-blonde haired woman stands with perfect posture that's visible even with scrubs on.

"Thanks," she smiles as she heads towards the woman across the room. She approaches the woman quietly, as she seems to be quite intently focused on the body and is a little scared to interrupt her, even if it does seem a little weird. "Hi, I'm Jane."

The woman jumped. "Oh, you startled me, sorry. What did you say your name was?" She said continuing to inspect the body.

"Jane, Detective Jane Rizzoli, homicide," she said with a polite smile.

Maura smiles to herself as she heard the words. She felt a sudden urge to rub her chest as the nerves suddenly hit her. She hasn't seen her in years. Cautiously, she turns with a smile and says, "Doctor Maura Isles."

And the penny had dropped. Jane's eyes widened and her mouth transformed into a huge grin completely involuntarily. "Maur!" She shouted as she realised, before reaching out with both hands and placing them on her shoulders. "Little Maura! See, I knew you'd turn out awesome!"

Maura smiled shyly. "And I the same of you. I read up on you, too. Youngest female detective, and the youngest female detective to be assigned to the homicide department. They are both quite amazing achievements." Maura smiled politely. "I am sure your parents must be very proud of you." She smiled once again as she finished her words, but this time her smile seemed a little more restrained.

Jane blushed with embarrassment. "Thank you, Maura. That means a lot. I'm really lucky to have such good people to work with here, and it's so cool that you're gonna be here too now!" Jane's smile was genuine as she tried to gauge Maura's. "Hey, let's grab a drink after work one day. It'd be great to catch up."

Maura thought about politely declining, but the look in Jane's eyes was so kind and honest. "That would be lovely." She said nodding her head slightly. "I believe I have your case." Her tone, whilst still polite, became very professional.

"Yep." She nodded, agreeing that work should come first. "Whaddya got for me?"

"Your victim appears to have drowned, which was concluded after a sample of the water from the lungs was taken and came back to have the make up of sea water matching that of the Charles River. The victim also has a wound on the back of the skull, and particulates from the wound have been sent to the lab for analysis, although the likelihood of it being from the murder weapon after being dumped in the ocean is rather slim. It is more likely to be traces of sedimentary rock picked up as it washed ashore." All her words were said without missing a beat, as if the information was stored in her head, even after such a short period of time. The facts seemed to come out unwittingly as if it's just the way she spoke.

"Okay, thanks Doc. Hey, here's my number," she said pulling out her business card and placing it on the table. "Don't worry about taking your gloves off, I'll just leave it here. But send me a text with yours when you get the chance and we'll sort something out. Otherwise, I'm sure the joys of death will bring us together again soon." Her last sentence was filled with sarcasm.

"Yes. That sounds lovely. Thank you." She said politely, with a slight sense of sorrow. The woman completely ignored the sarcastic sense of joyful death unsure of what the appropriate social response was.

"Don't even worry about it. Thank you. See ya Maur."

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><p><strong>So this was just a short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed. <strong>

**Really hope you're all happy and well. **

**Thank you so very much for reading this! You make me feel so special, and you all deserve so much good in return. I hope the new year is kind to you!**


	4. Chapter 4

_- A time to be silent and a time to speak – _

It's a little past six in the evening and Jane is waiting with anticipation in a booth at the Dirty Robber. She was happy that she had managed to get off work on time so that she wasn't late. They had arranged to meet at six, but Jane knew how demanding the job can be and wasn't concerned that Maura might have been caught up with something. Little did she know that Maura wasn't late at all.

She had actually arrived early and had been in the bathroom at the Dirty Robber trying to compose herself. Maura was always in control of her emotions, and so the fact that this one little encounter had gotten her so worked was distressing to her. She had been there attempting to figure out what approach she should take with Jane. As irrational as she knew it was, she was still a little upset that Jane had pushed her away when she was younger. And as she'd reminded herself, it wasn't unreasonable for an eighteen year old to turn down someone as young as she was at the time. After taking a deep breath she decided the best approach to give the adult Jane a chance. She looked at herself once more in the mirror to make sure she was presentable and headed out to the dining area.

Walking towards the booth, she noticed Jane's stunning head of thick, bodied hair and felt a little queasy as she wondered how this was going to go. _Deep breaths, Maura._ "Hello," she said as calmly as she could.

"Hey Maura! So glad you could make it!" Jane said with a genuinely elated smile.

Maura smiled politely in response. "Do you come to this establishment often?"

"Yeah, I guess. Sort of the local drinking spot for a lot cops." The motivation behind her smile became reminiscent. Quickly looking back to the centre and making eye contact with her again, she asked, "So how long have you been back in Boston?"

"I have been permanently residing here for nearly a month now."

"Are you liking being back?"

"Yes, it has been nice to settle back in and see what has changed in the city." She paused, "And what has stayed the same too." Maura isn't feeling as resentful of Jane as she starts to realise that she really isn't a bad person at all. In fact, she is very similar to the way she was which was involuntarily making her feel more at ease.

"Yeah, I bet. How are you finding BPD?" She said, content with her earlier response.

"The people all seem rather friendly and I am privileged enough to be working with a welcoming and well-studied team of people. Do you enjoy working in the Homicide Unit?" Her earlier feelings of hesitancy had dissipated and she found herself more and more interested in really getting to know Jane Clementine Rizzoli for who she was today.

"Yeah, ya know what, I really do. I work closely with Korsak and Frost, who are two great detectives, even if Frost is a little squeamish." She laughed.

Maura smiled a little, although she didn't quite understand the context of Jane's remark. "You look well," she smiled. "Do you have a family of your own?"

"Nah, haven't found the right guy. But my BPD family are great, and I'm lucky to have my ma and brothers around." She smiled with a little sadness at her unsuccessful love life, but wasn't disheartened. "How about you? Do you have family in the area?"

"No. My mother and father still travel a lot for their work, although I do not require a babysitter anymore."

"A joke? I think that's the first one I've heard from you." She smiled, a little mockingly. "I think we both know you didn't actually need one then either," she said nudging her hand forward. "What about you? Any hot guys in your life?" She teased.

Maura blushed a little before speaking. "No. I was in a relationship before I left, but it wasn't working out."

"Oh, my bad. Do ya want something to drink?" She asked feeling a little embarrassed for not asking sooner.

"Um, a glass of red wine would be lovely. I can order a bottle if you would like to share." She smiled politely genuinely beginning to trust Jane's position a little more.

Jane scoffed a little under her breath, and made Maura feel a little embarrassed. As soon as she noticed though, she said, "No, no!" She smiled trying to make her feel more comfortable. "It's just… I'm not really a wine drinker. I prefer a cold beer." She smiles, attempting to prove that she was being truthful.

Maura acknowledged Jane's comment with a polite nod before gesturing to the closest waiter so that they can place an order. "Hello, may I please have Christian Mouix Merlot and a," she pauses and looked over to Jane waiting for an answer.

"I'll just have a beer, thanks." She says smiling at the waiter.

The waiter nodded and headed towards the bar.

"Are there any activities you enjoy doing in your free time?" Maura asked.

"Hm," she paused. "I go running at night and sometimes Jo Friday comes with me."

"Jo Friday?" She interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, she's my dog."

"You have a dog? How lovely." Maura smiled, recognising the nurturing side of Jane.

"What about you? Any hobbies?" She asked kindly.

"I enjoy reading, yoga and, like you, I also welcome the release of dopamine that comes from regular runs."

"Nice. Do you watch the baseball?"

"No, I can't say I ever really got into sports in that way. I take it that you do follow the baseball?" She says, raising an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Oh yeah! Red Sox all the way! But you could've guessed that from my dog's name. He's named after an ex Red Sox player." She laughed at her own predictability.

Maura just smiles politely again, not quite understanding the relevance of that particular association.

"My bad. I didn't even ask! Do you have any pets?" She smiles, genuinely curious.

"Yes, actually. I have an African spurred tortoise by the name of Bass." She smiles at the thought.

"Cool! A turtle. How big is it?" Jane is excited at the unusual pet.

"Tortoise. And she is about 50pounds."

"50 pounds?!" She exclaims. "Holy crap!"

"She is actually quite small. They can weigh up to approximately 200pounds."

"Gees!" Jane says in disbelief, before realising that her tone may be off putting and changing the direction of the conversation. "So, um, what'd you name her after? Old boyfriend?"

"No. After William M Bass. Responsible for giving us the famous forensic body farm."

Jane smiled awkwardly at her cute individuality and solid values.

Maura smiles politely in response unsure of what Jane is thinking.

"Oh, thanks" Jane said looking over to the waiter who has returned with their drinks.

"Thank you." Maura smiles.

"Hey, I was thinking. I know we sort of just met each other again, but maybe we could go running sometime?" Jane said with the slightest noticeable sense of hope in her voice.

"That would be lovely." Maura really was pleased with how the evening had progressed and was happy to find that she was no longer annoyed at Jane's actions when she was younger.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey hey! Thank you so much for reading! I know I write stuff like this at the end of every chapter, but I mean it! You guys are amazing and it means so very much to me that people are reading my stories AND actually enjoying them.<br>I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave a review or send me a message. I also have a Tumblr page with the same username (curiositycomplex) if you're interested. **

**PS: Please consider this story relatively AU. I am trying to keep true to the characters' personalities and simply put them into different situations. **

**Anywho, hope you're all very happy and well. **

**Happy New Year!**


	5. Chapter 5

_a time to search and a time to give up – _

"Hello," Maura said with a smile.

"Hey!" Jane said, trying to hide her excitement about their first ever run together. As mentioned earlier, Jane didn't always take to new people well, and often they didn't take well to her either, so the prospect of this growing friendship was something that made her truly happy, although she'd never let anyone else know that. In the weeks following their first catch up at the Dirty Robber, they became a lot friendlier at work. The relationship seemed easy, well easier, and Jane wouldn't deny to herself that it was hard to have to work so much at her relationships and have them fall apart anyway.

"Where would you like to run to?" Maura enquired quite pointlessly, knowing she'd be happy going anywhere.

"Um, I thought we could just take my normal route. It's about a half hour. Figured we could start off with an easy one." Jane shrugged.

"Sure. That sounds fine. Lead they way," she said gesturing forward along the path.

"Alrighty then. Hope you can keep up," she winked, taking off.

Maura was a quick study, and didn't fall behind at all. She even found herself getting a little jokingly smug as Jane began to realise that Dr Maura Isles was tougher than she looked.  
>"So, how often do you go running?" She said, her breaths audible with exertion.<p>

"Um, I try to do it every day, but if I can't then at least four or five times a week. How about you?"

"Closer to three or four times, and I like to incorporate other types of wellness activities on other days of the week."

"Nice." She said, puffing before and after.

The two continue running for a while before either one of them speaks again. The silence is a comfortable one as they each wait for a thought worth sharing.

"You know, I love the feel of the ground beneath my feet when I run." Maura said thoughtfully.

Jane's next blink was longer than they had been as she processed the words and attempted to figure out their MO. She doesn't reply.

"I feel like I can be myself out here and no one can judge me. It's just me and the pavement." A half smile creeps on to her face.

Jane is still unsure of Maura's intentions but replies, all the same. "Yeah, I know what ya mean. Fresh air, good health, wear anything you want and no-one cares how sweaty you are."

They both laugh at Jane's joking words, and Maura's sense of ease is no longer just a result of the solid ground at her feet.  
>Maura was no stranger to social problems, and knew what it was like to be turned away over and over. But Jane never did that, even when she was younger. She was always genuine and caring and this was rare for Maura to experience. She didn't want to screw it up. She decided the best option was to not persevere with that particular topic, instead moving on to a lighter one. "Oh, is there still a little coffee cart just around the corner from here?"<p>

"Yes," she said, a little shocked. "How did you know that?"

Maura smiled politely, "When I was younger, I used to enjoy going for walks around this area. The parks are beautiful."

Jane looked over a little impressed at Maura's broad experiences and was a little surprised that her parents let her venture so far away from her home.

"Would you like to stop there to get a coffee and then we can walk back?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Good morning, may I please have a latte?" She smiled to the barista.

Before they can reply, Jane chimed in with, "make that two, please." Smiling.

Maura smiles a little to herself, appreciating every similarity greatly.  
>As the barista finished up with the coffees, she reached her hand into the inside pocket on her leggings, but was interrupted.<p>

"Here you go," Jane said to the barista as she pays for both of the coffees.

Maura wanted to protest, but it's already been done. "Let me pay you back!"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it." Jane just smiled as she takes the first sip of her drink.

Maura shrugged relenting, and chose just to say, "Thank you, Jane. Really." Her smile was not forced or involuntary. It is gentle. It is honest.

* * *

><p><strong>Good -time of day- all,<strong>

**Hope you're all happy and well.**  
><strong>Thank you again for giving this a read and I hope you weren't disappointed.<strong>

**Take care and stay happy. **


	6. Chapter 6

_- a time to weep and a time to laugh – _

Within a few weeks, both Maura and Jane have fallen into a regular bi-weekly routine of going for a run together. Beginning as a morning (before work) or weekend activity, it soon became apparent that going for runs in the evening was much easier as it meant neither of them had to race back and forth to get ready for whatever the next item on the day's agenda.

••••

"Come on, two more blocks," Maura says trying to motivate Jane.

Jane just groaned.

"Come on, I'll race you. First one back to your apartment building wins." She says, raising an eye brow hoping that the challenge will inspire.

The brunette doesn't respond for a few moments, and then in a deep voice says, "You're on."

Sharing a quick look, they both take off in a sprint as they race to their finish line.

"Almost there," Jane teases. "I'm gonna get there first, I'm gonna get there first," she says to a mocking tune.

Maura lets out a huff, and focuses all her energy into her running.

In the last few moments, Jane seems always to be one step ahead.  
>Without fail, she keeps up the pace and beats Maura by less than a second.<p>

"Hmph," Maura says, feigning upset.

"Oh come on," she says puffing between words. "We both know you were pretty much there at the same time," she laughs.

"Yeah, yeah," she says with a smile. Reaching out her right hand as if at the end of a sports' match, she smiles. "Well played, Rizzoli." She laughs.

Smiling, she says, "Yeah, well played Isles."  
>Jane opens the door to her apartment building and holds it open for Maura.<p>

"Thank you."

"Hey, so what are you doing for dinner?" Jane asks.

"I thought I would go home. There is a quinoa and brown rice salad I have be wanting to try."

"Nice," Jane says contently.

"What about you? What will you be having this evening?"

"I dunno. Don't really want to cook. Probably just have cereal or something." As Jane finishes her sentence she practically winces away raising her shoulder to protect her from the wrath she fears is about to come out of her friend's mouth.

Maura shrugged, not overly surprised at Jane's sense of personal care. "Don't be silly. I'll cook for you," She says happily.

"No, I can't ask you to do that. Cereal is fine, really!" Jane implores.

Raising an eye brow, she says, "You just don't want to have to clean plates and pans, do you?" She smiles, knowing Jane all too well.

Jane just laughs.

"Fine," she relents, "I'll order you some take out."

"Ooh, I do like that Chinese place that just opened up!" Suddenly exciting at the prospect of food that tastes good and doesn't involve cooking or cleaning.  
>Heading toward the couch, Jane swiftly manages to pick up the phone and the menu from the fridge and make it look like a natural movement.<p>

Maura laughs as she watches her slump on to the couch and begin perusing the menu.

"What d'you want?" Jane says without glancing up.

"Pardon?" The blonde says, a little confused.

"What d'you wanna eat? I'm not getting take out and have you go home." Looking up to make eye contact, she continues with, "You know it's easier than going home and having to cook!"

"Unlike you," Maura smirks, "I actually enjoy a home cooked meal."

"Ha. Ha." She says snarkily. "C'mon Maur, stay. This is so much easier and you know it!"

Not taking make persuasion, Maura gives in and makes her way to the couch to have a look at the menu. Quickly perusing the piece of paper and not reading any of it, she says, "I'll tell you what, order anything you like as long as there's also a vegetable dish involved."

"Woohoo! I'm going to get some chicken's feet, and rump of the dog, and perhaps even some children's ears." She says with a devious smirk on her face

Maura is just about to respond with a list of statistics and then the prevalence of cannibalism in various cultures, but she stops herself when she realises that Jane is just trying to get a rise out of her. "Ha. Ha to you too."

Jane just laughs.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" She says, not stooping down to the level of her childish nonsense.

"Yeah," She says as if it should be obvious. "You don't have to ask, y'know."

Maura nods politely and heads to the bathroom.  
>When she returns, she hears Jane calling from the lounge room.<p>

"So, the food's ordered and it's on its way. Want a wine or something?"

Maura is slow to respond. "What are you going to have?"

"I'unno. Thinking of just having a beer."

"Then I shall have a beer also, please."

Jane turns to her, a little stunned. "My, my, we are feeling adventurous tonight, aren't we?"

Maura just laughs. "Variety feeds the brain." She says, trying to write it off as a scientific experiment.

"Uh-huh…" Jane says, still not quite sure what to make of her apparent open-ness to the drink which she had previously described as "Apis' urine. That's what you want?"

Maura's a little stunned. "You actually listen to me when I talk?"

"Yeah," she smiled sweetly, "most of the time."

The two talk mindlessly, and in no time at all the food seems to arrive. As the door knocks, Jane leaps from her seat shouting, "Food!" She's more motivated than she has been all night at the thought of food made by someone else.

Maura laughs quietly to herself. "Oh," she says aloud, and she hops up grabbing her wallet and heading for the door.

"Oh, put that away!"

"Don't be silly. You pay for things for me."

"Yeah," she exclaims mockingly, "a coffee or something."

"Well, the price of each adds up," she says shoving her money forward into the delivery guy's hand. "There's a tip included," she winks.

Slumping her arms down and giving in the fight, Jane humbly says, "Thank you."

"You are very welcome. Now let's eat," she smiles playfully.

"I won't say no to that!"

"So, what are we having?" Maura asks eagerly.

"Let's see we've got… spring rolls, a satay chicken stir fry, some creepy tofu and vegetables in a chilli basil sauce, and rice. OH! And beer. Can't forget that!" She laughs.

"Well, it all sounds delicious," she says honestly. "Even the creepy tofu." Maura wrinkles up her nose in a silly smirk. "Shall I get some plates and cutlery?"

"I have a better idea!" Jane says cheekily. "I'll be right back."

Maura sits alone in the lounge room for a few moments quite confused before seeing Jane return and immediately bursting into laughter. "Well, that certainly is one alternative."

Jane laughs. "Yeah, I keep it for those days when you just can't be bothered."

Maura nods understandingly.

"So… ya know, most days." She laughs louder this time at her own hilarity.

* * *

><p><strong>And so, we come to the end of another chapter.<br>I do sincerely hope that you're enjoying the story so far, and look forward to being able to write more.  
>If you have any comments, feedback or even ideas, feel free to write a review or message me. <strong>

**Hope you're all very happy and well.  
>You are all appreciated greatly!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

_- a time to mourn and a time to dance – _

Jane is sitting at her desk at the precinct waiting for to see if Frost has managed to get anything off the victim's phone. Bored and stumped on the case, she texts Maura.

_Dirty Robber tonight?_

Maura reads.  
><em>Can't. Was hoping to go home and take care of Bass. She's been rather lonely lately and wanted to keep him company. Apologies.<em>

_Okay.  
><em>Jane pulled a bit of a face as she let out a small sighing breath.

_You can come over, if you'd like?_

_Sure_

Maura didn't even have time to put her phone down before Jane's reply came back.  
><em>Okay. <em>_ I should be off by 6:30pm._

••••

"Dr Isles," Susie paused, "the blood work is back on Mr Yates."

"Thank you, Susie." Maura stopped talking and began to look through the results and very quickly develops a rather confused face. "That's unusual," she says, half to herself and half to anyone who might be around her.

"What is?" Susie asks keenly.

"Well, his liver seems to be in perfect condition despite the years of alcohol abuse that the victim endured." Her brow is furrowed deep in thought as she searches for a possible answer. "I'll go tell Jane," she says promptly before exiting the morgue in a rush.

Leaving the elevator, Maura barely takes two steps before shouting Jane's name across the bullpen.

Jane's eyes shot up instantly, looking for anything to do before she starts pulling out her own her. "Hey Maur, what's up?"

"I got Patrick Yates' blood work back. It appears that he had nothing in his blood that would have pointed to long term and/or frequent instances of inebriation."

"What?" Korsak said from the next desk over. "I saw the guy from time to time. He was a raging drunk, always smelt of booze… Could never walk a straight line!" He proclaims.

"Well, whatever it was, it wasn't alcohol abuse." Maura remarked confidently.

"Hey Korsak, have you found anything in his diary that might be helpful?" Jane asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, really. Work, family stuff every now and then. The only thing I wasn't able to figure out was, once a month he had the initials HR."

"Was there any sort of pattern to it?"

"Nah. Different days of the week, different times." Korsak said shrugging his shoulders.

"Hm. Well that's not helpful." Jane paused as she tried to work out their next move. "Frost, can you cross reference the initials HR with anything in his phone or e-mails?"

"Yeah, sure." He said obligingly.

"Thanks for coming up here, Maura." Jane's smile was sweet and genuine, though it seemed completely unrelated to the case.

Maura nodded politely, noting that the smile was indeed out of context.

••••

"Hey, you 'bout done for the day?" Jane asks walking into the morgue despite seeing Maura intently hovering over a body.

"Almost. I just have to close him up." Maura stopped for a moment, realising that Jane was there. "You know you could've gone to my house without me. I would have arrived soon enough."

"Yeah, I know, but I figured if you were done we may as well leave together." Jane shrugged off her words, looking around for something to entertain her for a few minutes.

"Okay, well, I'll try not to be too long." Maura smiled politely. "Any luck with HR?"

"No… I mean, we found something that might be linked but have to wait until tomorrow to follow up." Jane said. She was honestly wanting to wait for Maura but you could tell by her tone that she wasn't good at entertaining herself.

Maura noticed this and just smiled.

"What?" Jane said prodding for what she suspected was some mild mockery coming from the doctor's face.

"Nothing." She smiled, holding back a giggle. "I'll tell you what, if you wouldn't mind, could you go to my office and get me my handbag and make sure my phone and wallet are in there? That way we can be out of here as quickly as possible."

Jane thought about arguing, but saw no good reason to considering that's exactly what she wanted. So she feigned frustration and said, "Fine!" in a low tone. "Gees, always making me do things."

Maura just laughed at Jane's sense of humour as she continued to finish her work.

"Hey, where's your- Nevermind!" Jane shouted from her office.

Maura shook her head as she finished up the final few stitches. "And… done." She said chirpily. I'll just get a couple of the morgue techs to deal with the body, put the paperwork on my desk and I'm done."

"Ya know, done means done. As in… We can go now done." Jane said sarcastically.

"You know," Maura mocked, "patience is a virtue Jane."

"Yeah, yeah." Jane said with a smile. "So, are you done done now?" She asked as she watched Maura put some files in her drawers.

"Yes, Jane. I am done done. We can go." Maura rolled her eyes, knowing that she found Jane just as amusing as she did.

Heading out of the building, Jane asked, "Where are you parked?"

"Just up the street." She said adjusting her jacket sleeves.

"Alright, well I'm just here, so I'll see you back at yours?"

"Yes, see you soon. Drive safe." Maura said kindly.

"But mum!" She whined.

Maura pursed her lips and crinkled her nose at Jane's childishness before turning her back to her and waving goodbye as if it didn't impact her at all.

"Fine!" She relented a small laugh. "Bye!"

••••

"You should've waited inside!" Maura said as she stepped out of her car. Jane had arrived shortly before her and had refused to go inside. "You could have used the key you have for emergencies."

Jane hugged her arms around her body attempting to keep warm on the brisk night. "I know, but I thought it'd be more polite if I waited outside."

"And froze your Gluteous Maximus off?" Maura exclaimed, genuinely a little annoyed that Jane didn't put her body temperature above politeness.

"Yes, Maura," she rolled her eyes. "I thought it would be enjoyable to freeze my gluten and Max off."

Maura narrowed her eyes as she was mocked.

"I guess I'll just be rude next time and go through your house!" She threatened jokingly.

"I would like that." Maura smiled, proving she was infallible when it came to Jane's silly sarcasm. Opening the door, she was quick to offer tea or coffee to warm her guest up.

"No thanks," she said shyly.

Maura didn't respond for a few moments. Her eyes widened and her lips parted a little as she realised. "You want a beer, don't you?"

"Maybe?" She laughs.

"Wouldn't you like something warm?"

"A beer that's been out of the fridge for a couple of minutes?"

Maura couldn't help but laugh at this remark.  
>"Would you like to at least stay for dinner then?"<p>

"Nah, that's okay. I'll head home."

"Well, you can't drive if you've been drinking! I'll make something, it won't take long." She smiled, as she politely tried to argue for her to stay.

"Then you have to at least let me help." Jane pleaded.

"Fine." Maura smiled, feeling accomplished.

"So, what's up Bass' ass?" She said taking the first sip of her beer.

"Nothing unusual. The average amount of faecal matter." Maura said confused about what relevance this was to anything.

"Well… that's good to know." She laughed. "I mean, why's he been so lonely, doofus?"

"Oh! Sorry. Well, I haven't been around too much lately and I think it's been affecting he's mood. He's become quite stand off-ish and a little picky when it comes to food." She said, obviously quite concerned for his well-being.

"Really? The huge, slow moving hunk of affection has been stand off-ish? That's outrageous." Jane mocked.

"Laugh all you want, but I am very worried." She frowned.

"Okay, okay," Jane said attempting to redeem herself. "Is there anything I can to do help?"

"You could talk to him while I make dinner?" She said hopefully.

"Talk to him?" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Right. I can do that." She paced over to Bass and leant against the wall as she slid to the floor. "Hey Bass… You remember me? I'm Jane." Jane sighed, feeling quite ridiculous about talking to something about as animated as the wall behind her.

"Um… So, Maura says you have been very happy lately."

Bass seems unphased and continues travelling from one side of the room to the other slower than a snail.

"And you know," she said trying to seem enthusiastic, "it's not good for turtles to be unhappy."

"Tortoise," Maura corrected as she cut up some herbs for the cous cous salad.

"Right. Tortoise. Not good for them either. And ya know… When you're sad, mummy Maura gets sad." She says in a babying voice.

Maura looks up from the bench and smiles sweetly at Jane's sensitive side, even if she was still being mocked.

"I'll tell you what I like to do when I get sad?"

Maura's focus becomes quite fixed on Jane as the prospect of learning more about her relatively new friend intrigued her.

"I like to turn the music up really loud and dance around." Her baby-tone voice continues as she says, "Want to see me dance Billy boy? Yeah? You wanna see me dance?" Jane hops up from the floor putting her beer on the bench top.

Before knowing exactly what was happening, Maura was watching Jane dance in her kitchen like an old style twister. Her moves digress through, and soon she's watching the detective attempt krumping being performed to a tortoise who still seemed fairly uninterested but at least had stopped to watch. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you think you could do better grandma?" Jane says with a little bit of a growl.

"No… no," she says trying to refrain from laughing in fear of being dragged into the shenanigans unravelling before her. She didn't want to risk embarrassment. And besides, it's was the most focused she'd seen Bass in a few days, and that was far too important to ruin.

"That's what I thought." She said, trying to sound tough (though she didn't have to try too hard).

"Here you go Bass. Some yummy lettuce leaves, kale and some yummy turnip greens!" Maura turns to her friend and smiles, thankful for her help. "I'll come back and check on her after dinner. Have a seat though, dinner for the humans is just about ready."

Jane grabs her beer and heads to the dining table that Maura has already taken the liberty of setting.

"Thank you, for spending time with Bass, I mean. I think it helped." Maura smiled genuinely, but not unfamiliarly the smile seemed out of context. She was happy that Bass was at least considering the food, and appreciated how much her friend had done even if it didn't seem like much… There just seemed to be something else behind the smile as well.

"Anytime." Jane laughed. "Me and Bassy are best buds!"

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry for the delayed update, guys! I think my brain's been on holidays.<strong>

**Hopefully though, you've enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it (well, most of it).**

**I honestly love hearing what you have to say, so please leave me some feedback or shoot me a message. Doesn't even have to be related.**

**Hope you're all very happy and well.  
>Take care and keep smiling. <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

_- a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them – _

_Hey_

Jane lay awake in her bed, feeling quite caught up in the current case. Although she'd never admit it, she was thinking about some other things as well.  
>After a few minutes of no response, Jane sighs and puts her phone back on her bedside drawers and lays back down. Resting her hands on her stomach, she finds her fingers dancing in agitation. She tries to close her eyes, even her breathing out to a slowed regular pace, even focus on sleeping, but she only finds herself getting more worked up at her lack of success. She pulls her pillow out from under her head and smother her face into. She hates that feeling though, so she throws the pillow to the floor and heads to bathroom.<br>She looks herself over in the mirror, wondering if it were noticeable to others when she was stressed. Turning on the tap she began washing her hands in cold water before letting it gather and splashing it on her face. She turned off the tap and simply stared at her reflection. Tired and unwilling to deal with whatever was going through her head she said to herself, "Go to bed, Jane." And that was that. In a moment she forced herself to stop thinking. To return to her bed, sprawl out comfortable and let out a sigh of relief. *bzzzz* Her eyes shot to her drawers where her phone's back light had just lit up her entire room.

_Hi _

Jane smiled a little when she saw that Maura had responded.

_I didn't wake you, did I? _

She would never want to bother her dear friend, but in moments of weakness she found she would cry out before she could cover her mouth.

_No Jane  
><em>Of course she did, but Maura wasn't going to say that.

_Good. How was your day?  
><em>Jane had completely missed the fact that Maura had just implied she was already awake.

_Well, you were there for parts of it. ;) The rest was fine, also. Thank you. And yours?_

The winking face on the text message gave Jane a rather uneasy feeling though she wasn't sure why.

_Yeah, was good. Thanks._

Maura read this text and wondered how to appropriately reply. She knew something was up with Jane but didn't want to push her away.

_Thank you again, by the way. Bass has been far less restless since you spent time with him._

_Really? How do you even tell? Does she move less than a mile an hour?_

Jane's knee-jerk sarcasm made Maura smile. It was a good indicator of how far gone her friend was. Jane may not have known it but Maura was more sensitive than she appeared. Sure, she knew Maura felt things and knew that she cared about things but not to this extent.

_Ha. Ha. Really. Thank you._

Jane just sat there for a while before replying. She didn't feel like she had anything useful to say. Before she had to decide though, she got another text from Maura.

_So… Do you want to tell me what's going on?_

_What? Why does something have to be wrong?_

Jane snapped a little with her words that text, but hoped that the phone wouldn't convey her frustration.

_It doesn't. However you did send a message at 3:17 am, and I would guess you are yet to go to sleep._

Jane wanted to yell, but she couldn't. Every ounce of her knew that Maura was, indeed, right.

_Run tomorrow?_

Jane attempted to change the direction of the conversation a little so she didn't have to confront anything in her vulnerable, early morning state.

_Sure. Rest well, Jane._

Jane's lips turned up at the corners when she read that last text. When Maura called someone by name, the way she had on other occasions, it meant she cared which was big for both of them.

••••

Mid run the next morning, they'd both been quite quiet. Maura was simply tired for last night. She didn't get so sleep for a while after they'd stopped texting, and Jane, well… Jane was just distant because of whatever had been plaguing her mind over the past few days.

"Jane, can we stop?" Maura relented as the tension became too annoying to bear.

"What? We're nearly done!" Jane said, completely unaware that Maura's tone had shifted.

"Jane…" she said as she slowed to a halt on the pavement.

Jane ran a few more stops before realising and then immediately stopped and ran back to Maura. "What's wrong?" She was genuinely concerned.

Maura was leaning forward with straight arms and resting her hands on her thighs. Her hands dropped though and Maura straightened up. By the way she moved, even a blind person could tell that she was frustrated about something. She took a breath though, and smiled at Jane as she walked toward the bench next to the pavement. "Last night, Jane." Her eyes looked so caring.

Jane couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not being an 'easy' person to deal with all the time. Jane cut the crap. "Ah. Right." She shrugged her shoulders a little as she went to join her friend on the bench.

"Mm…" Maura sounded inquisitively.

"It wasn't really anything. I guess I just couldn't sleep." Jane felt horrible. She wasn't a fan of talking about her 'feelings' and would never want to waste someone else's time with them anyway. But somehow, she was still feeling compelled to say something. Anything. She paused. "So, you know the case with Mr Yates?" She deflected, practically spewing out the words. "HR, we suspect, stands for Hugo Revere. A doctor from his side of town."

"And this is what was keeping you awake last night?" Maura said, suspicious of Jane in every way.

"Mhm!" She said absently yet adamantly.

Maura didn't want to push Jane and decided to let the day play out to see if it inspired her to open up about what really happened last night. "Okay." Her eyebrows furrowed a little with concern, though she tried to hide it. She also knew it was a reflection of their relationship and where they were. It was hard for both of them because neither of them, though both caring, kind and wonderful people, had been good at keeping long term friends (especially female ones). And, knowing that, she knew how difficult it could be to take the next step and open up about something personal. To feel comfortable enough to confide in someone and know that you'll still be respected, supported and liked. All the same, she was conflicted and not wanting to make another move immediately before she had time to think things through.

Thankfully, the two women were nearly at the end of their route, and it was just about time for them to go and prepare for work that day.

"Thanks, Maur." Jane said quietly and genuinely, trying not to make too much of it.

"Don't be silly, I enjoy running with you."

Jane was saddened a little on the inside, as if she was hoping that Maura (or anyone) could just know and rescue her from her thoughts.

"And Jane," she paused, "If you want to talk… About what was really keeping you up, I'm around." Maura gave a meaningful nod before continuing on back to her car.

Jane smiled. She couldn't help it. The prospect of a friend, or whatever Maura was, made her happy… even if she couldn't pin point it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello lovely people,<strong>

**I am so terribly sorry for the late updates recently. I've been quite tired, and I do apologise.**

**I'm hoping to get back into a rhythm soon!**

**I'd really love to hear any feed back you might have about the story or my writing. I love hearing it, good or bad.**

**Thank you for your time and thank you for reading**

**PS:**  
><strong>I didn't spell check (I wanted to give you the update so you didn't have to wait), but I am going to tomorrow, so please excuse any mistakes.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

_- a time for war and a time for peace - _

After her run with Jane, Maura is more distracted than usual. She would swear that there was something going on with her friend, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Perhaps going for a run that morning with Jane wasn't the best idea. Maura hated herself the moment that thought even began to form in her mind. It wasn't about her. It was about Jane and whatever she had going on in her head. She may not have been good at deciphering modern hip lingo, or knowing when something was sarcastic or serious, but she knew something was bothering Jane and found herself quite determined to find out what.

She couldn't help but think that Jane's behaviour was somewhat familiar to her, but was yet to know with what to associate it.  
>Maura took a moment to compose herself, taking a few deep breaths in order to focus herself. She had work to do, and she knew it.<p>

••••

Having needed to pull Jane a little more than she was willing to go, Maura had eventually convinced her that they'd have lunch together and not have to talk about anything. And by the time lunch rolled around, Jane had become sufficiently distracted from whatever thoughts had been plaguing her the night before.

"Hey!" Jane said quite happily.

"Hello," Maura smiled acknowledging Jane's better mood. "How's your day been?"

"Interesting." She said suspiciously.

"Uh-huh. Would you care to elaborate?" Maura's smile remained but became rather curious about what Jane was talking about.

"So!" She exclaimed. "Ya know how I told you that HR was a doctor? Well, he's a shrink, and!" she exclaimed again, "You'll never guess what Yates was into."

Maura was still confused, and her face definitely conveyed that.

Giving in after sincerely hoping to see Maura actually guess, she relented. "Fine! He had a personality disorder apparently related to upbringing and his parents where he essentially acted drunk for a large portion of his adult life because that's how he thought he would find somebody who loved him and would take care of him."

Maura's eyes grew like a puppy's. "That's so sad."

Jane was stopped in her tracks. With those three little words she could suddenly feel everything she did the night before (and before that). With three words she was shown once again how beautiful Maura was. Even as a scientist, she showed emotion like no-one she met before. She shook her head abruptly trying not to let her friend notice. "Yeah, it is. But how weird is that?" She said, faking that she wasn't hurt by the thought of it too.

••••

That evening Jane found herself alone in her room, sitting most agitated on her bed. _Could I like a girl? _It was the first thought she needed to have. She had been dancing around the idea for some time, so it was no surprise that she had finally arrived there. _But I date guys. I have dated guys. I have liked dating guys. But Maura… she's different. She's a freaking girl for starters. _Jane became more agitated than before, and found herself almost angry at the fact that there was a possibility that she liked a girl. _I'm not gay. I know people who are, and that's absolutely fine. It just so happens that I'm not, right? _Her words got lost as she too became lost in everything she thought wonderful about her colleague and friend. _The smile that you can't look away from. Those soft and gentle eyes. _Even Jane was surprised at how sappy she was becoming._ The hair, unf… the hair. _She stopped herself. She didn't want to deal with this right now.

Unknown to Jane, Maura too was having quite a conflict in her house that evening. Not knowing what was bothering Jane was close to killing her. Though she'd never really thought about whether she liked her more than a friend, she knew she liked and cared for her very, very much. Knowing that something had her stressed or upset was unbearable. She did all she could think to do, - though not a lot of thought actually went into it. –

_You had dinner?_

The text arrived when she was in the bathroom and Jane heard the buzzing and beeping of her phone from the other room. She dried her hands after splashing her face with water hoping for some clarity. Picking up her phone she saw the text from Maura and her body couldn't decide whether to smile or fall apart. _She's just asking about dinner. Not whether you're gay, idiot._

_Ah yeah. Got home late so just got take out. you? _

_Mhm. I had a quinoa salad with grilled chicken. Are you busy?_

_No what's up?_

Jane's natural instincts kicked in, and so she was happy to be there for whatever she needed, big or small.

_Kind of felt like going for a run. Was going to see if you'd like to join me?_

_You know what time it is right?_

Jane joked.

_10:03pm_

"Text Sent" Maura read after realising that the question was most likely rhetorical.

_Yes. Just figured I'd ask anyway. Not to worry. C:_

_Nah. I mean I'll come. It's not like I'm sleeping. Where should I meet you?_

_I'll come by yours. C: Fifteen minutes okay?_

_Perfect._

Minutes later, Maura arrives at Jane's apartment and buzzes the doorbell.

"Come on up, I'll be ready in just a second," Jane says buzzing the door open for Maura.

"Hey, thanks for coming for a run with me." Maura said politely and genuinely.

"Yeah, no worries. Have a seat, I'll be right back." She says, though she's gone before she finishes the sentence.

Maura sits patiently on Jane's lounge next to a blanket that's been rolled up into a messy ball. She smiles a little, loving Jane's little quirks.

When she returns, she plonks herself down on the lounge next to Maura, sneakers in hand. She smiles at Maura before turning back to her feet and groaning quietly about the distance her feet are away from her hands. She sighs and leans forward dropping her shoes to the floor, and she begins putting them on.

"How was your day?" Maura asked politely.

"It was good. I mean, you heard what happened with the case. So weird or not, it's progress, ya know?" She says, only glimpsing up momentarily.

Maura nodded. "At least things are beginning to make a little bit more sense."

"Yeah." Jane pauses, almost reminiscently. "How was your day?" She asks, cutting herself off from getting too deep into thought.

"It was fine, thank you. Mostly paperwork. I found out that my mother will be in Boston next month for a conference."

Jane noticed that Maura seemed almost neutral about this fact. Well, uneasy more so than neutral, but it didn't seem like something she was excited about.

"Anyway," she deflects, "I know it's late so how about we just go for fifteen minutes or so?"

"Ah yeah, sure," she pauses again. "Whatever you're up for." She tried to smile reassuringly. She knew that Maura and her mother weren't as close as she'd hoped them to be, but she didn't want to push. She always wasn't complaining because it was after 10 at night and this was her second run for the day. Jane was pretty ready to go to bed soon.

On their run, the two made little more than small talk. One; it was late and two; neither of them were keen on talking about what happened to be on their minds.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys,<br>**

**So I know this chapter doesn't have an incredibly eventful finish but the next one will be better. I hope you enjoyed it all the same.**

**Thank you for reading this, and I really hope you're liking it so far.**  
><strong>I am always happy to hear any feedback you've got, so please do leave a review. C:<strong>

**Hope you're all happy and well. **

**Take care.**


	10. Chapter 10

_- a time keep and a time to throw away – _

_Hey Janie!_

A text arrived on her phone from an unknown number.

_Sorry who is this? And what time do you think it is?_

_Its Tommy – youre so funny_

_What do you want? It's the middle of the night?_

_Why do I always have to want something?_

_Do you want something?_

_Well yes but I hate that you always assume the worst. What did I ever do?_

_Do you want a list? … What do you want, Tommy?_

Tommy wasn't exactly thrilled with the warm greeting he was getting but, all the same, he needed a favour.

_Can I crash on your couch? Just for tonight I swear!_

_What'd you do?_

_Nothing!_

_No, if you did nothing you wouldn't need a bed. _

_Nothing! I broke up with this girl and she went all nuts and sent her very big big brothers after me_

_Eugh… I take it you're already close by?_

A few minutes later, a reply still hadn't arrived.

_Tommy?_

Interrupting her train of thought, she is startled by the door bell.

_It's 11:45pm… What could someone possibly want?_ Jane thought to herself. "Coming" she yells quietly. Opening the door she saw Tommy and wandered why she expected anything different.

"Hey big sis!" Tommy says in a way that only enrages the sibling tension.

"Uh-huh," she utters, trying to give as little to the conversation as possible. She reaches in to a hallway cupboard and pulls out a couple of blankets and a pillow. "Here," Jane says handing them to Tommy. "Couch is over there, I take it you remember where the bathroom is. I'm going to bed."

"Thanks Jane, you're the best!" He says, clearly sucking up to her. All the same, he couldn't help but be a little bit happy to be there. Even through all the fights and the hostility, Tommy still loved Jane… even if she did seem like a know-it-all sometimes. "Oh hey," he remarked, "got any food?"

His smile was endearing, though Jane knew this smile all too well. She groaned. "Really?" She said, rolling her eyes. Relenting, wanting nothing but to go to bed, she said, "Left over pizza in the fridge. Good night." And with that, Jane had disappeared.

Her brother hadn't really noticed though. The mention of food had immediately drawn his attention elsewhere.

Back in her bedroom, Jane texted Maura.

_You up?_

Maura had just begun to doze off when her phone buzzed. She couldn't be sure, but she would have sworn her phone buzzed louder when she was asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she unlocked her phone to see the text from Jane.

_I am. Are you alright?_

Jane knew a "Maura lie" when she saw one.

_No you weren't. Go back to sleep. We can talk tomorrow. _

_Are you sure?_

Maura wasn't being uncaring at this point, but she couldn't help but have the insatiable desire to sleep. Work had been rather draining lately.

_Yeah, yeah. Promise! Go to sleep. Sorry for waking you._

Jane didn't hear back from Maura again that night. It took a while, but she too drifted off to sleep eventually despite the night's disruptions.

••••

Sitting at their usual booth, Maura found herself staring as Jane played with her food.

"Hey, sorry for being so selfish lately," Jane mumbled softly.

"Don't be silly, Jane. You've been fine." Maura smiled reassuringly, though it seemed not to have any impact on the preoccupied brunette before her. "Jane," she said reaching a hand out to her friend's, momentarily interrupting her fidgeting cutlery. "My family may not be quite the same as yours…"

Jane showed a small smirk, though it disappeared shortly after its arrival.

"However," she emphasised, "I too know how frustrating they can be. And it can be difficult to be tolerant, particularly when someone says they'll be staying for one night and ends up being there for a week, with no real prospect of leaving."

"I shoulda known he was gonna stay this long," Jane groaned. "And ma still thinks he's a perfect little angel." Jane was clearly annoyed.

"I'll tell you what, although it's not quite the same, you know you're always welcome to stay at my place." Maura offered kindly.

"Thanks, Maur." Jane's eyes looked sad. "I think I'm going to go home first. I'll grab a few things and hopefully motivate my brother to go back to wherever he came from."

••••

Jane sits on Maura's lounge swivelling a cold beer bottle.

"So, what did you end up saying to him?" She asked cautiously.

Jane let out a sigh before answering, as if she had to rethink whether it was the right decision or not. In a tone lower than her usual she said, "I told him that he needed to go back to his place. He couldn't hide out forever." She paused. "And that if he wanted people to stop coming after him maybe he should stop doing stupid things."

Maura's face involuntarily winced in response to the harshness of Jane's words. It soon relaxed though as she said, "Well, sometimes the truth hurts. Or so they say."

"Did they say who it hurts?" Jane joked.

She pursed her lips together at the remark, but was happy to see Jane's sense of humour hadn't completely disappeared in all the drama. "You're a good big sister, Jane. You wouldn't have done it if you didn't care for him." She smiled kindly. "It is getting late. I think I'll turn in for the night." Maura paused, gauging Jane's response. "You're a wonderfully caring person, Jane, and you do so much for those around you. Please don't doubt that." She smiled placing a hand on Jane's shoulder as she got up.

Jane smiled politely, thankful for her friend's kindness. "G'night, Maur."  
>That night, the only thing that was successfully keeping Jane's mind from going crazy about Tommy was Maura. Jane always felt guilty after dealings with her brother. She knew that somewhere, deep down, he had the best intentions. She also knew how much she hated having to always be the one who had to take care of him.<br>Maura had just been so kind to her through it all. She was always so nice to her; it didn't matter what was going on. At no point was she ever unaware of how lucky she was to have a friend like her.

••••

Maura let out a small moan and rubbed her eyes as she awoke the next morning. Flaring her nostrils slightly, she tried to identify the distinct scent she was inhaling. She slid her feet over the edge of her bed as she sat up, taking a deep breath preparing for whatever her day may have ahead.  
>Make her way to the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of Jane's backside in a singlet and pyjama shorts.<br>"Morning Jane…" Maura said, a little puzzled by what was happening.

"Oh, g'morning. Did I wake you? Sorry!" She said apologetically, though her face still seemed somewhat happy.

This only served to confuse Maura further. "What are you doing?" She said with a curious smile.

"Making breakfast." Jane's words were quite 'matter of fact'.

"I can see that," she said letting out a small laugh. "I was simply curious to know why you were making breakfast. I thought we would just get a coffee and some fruit on the way to work."

"Yeah, we coulda done that." Jane said softly, beginning to regret her decision. "I just wanted to do something nice, 'cause you've been so nice to me lately." She said insecurely, hoping that Maura wouldn't judge her.

"That is very sweet of you, Jane," Maura said very happily and genuinely. "You know you didn't have to do that!"

Maura's words immediately changed Jane's mood. "I know," she smiled shyly. "I just really wanted to say thanks."

"So, what are we having?" She said lightly.

"'Pillar Pancakes!" Jane smiled cheekily.

"Excuse me?" Maura said, surprised that she was still finding this morning so confusing.

"Sit down! Coffee's fresh, and I'll show you what they are in just a second!" Jane's smile had grown significantly, feeling happy that she'd gotten the upper hand again.

Maura smirked, feigning annoyance at not knowing, and poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the kitchen bench.

Idle conversation filled the few minutes before Jane had finished plating up breakfast. Turning around, empty handed, she said, "Close your eyes." The look in her eyes was a mischievous one.

Maura crinkled her nose at the instruction, but soon relented and closed her eyes. She heard a clink in front of her as the plate hit the benchtop, and she couldn't help but take a peak.

"You looked!" Jane said grumpily.

Maura just giggled.

"Well, now you know."

"Now, I do," she mimicked. "Well, sort of," she said looking down at her plate. She inspected the many small circlular pancakes overlapping (smallest to largest), arranged in a crescent shape following the edge of her plate. She giggled at the choc-chips on the top pancake with a strawberry cut in to a smile. "It's a caterpillar!" She laughed.

"Yep. 'Pillar Pancakes!" She too laughed. "It was either that or bunny pancakes, but I couldn't risk turning into my mother."

"Well, thank you. It's lovely. And thank you for incorporating fresh fruit. Even if it is just a few strawberries on the side."

"Yeah, well, I knew you'd want something sort of healthy." She smirked. "And a caterpillar's gotta eat, right?" She said, nudging Maura's arm playfully.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey all, <strong>

**Thanks for reading.  
>As you can see, this is just a short chapter. I realise I haven't been writing as much lately, but here's hoping I get back into the swing of things soon! <strong>

**Please don't hesitate to message me feedback, good or bad, at anytime. Love hearing from you and learning what you like. And this chapter is a little bit different as well, so I'm curious to know your thoughts. **

**Hopefully 2015 is treating everyone well so far. **

**Hope you're happy and well. **


	11. Chapter 11

_- a time to plant and a time to uproot – _

"Is there something on my face?" Maura asked urgently and self-consciously.

Jane snapped out of her daze as soon as she realised someone was talking to her. "What?" She said shaking her head, refocusing herself.

"Do I have something on my face?" She rephrased.

"No," she paused, confused at the question. "Oh! No. I was just thinking about work still."

"Oh" she said quite relieved. "I was worried I had smeared something awful on my face and you were gawking."

"No, no!" She exclaimed. "Really, was just work. You're perfect." Jane said without a thought.

Maura just smiled politely and went back to eating her food. "How are your organic sweet potato chips?"

"Oh, they're ravishing," she said sarcastically.

"Actually, ravishing is a word associated with how beautiful or enchantingly attractive something is. It has no relevance to gustation." Maura corrected.

"In that case, they're disGUSTing." She laughed at her own poor pun.

"Whilst I know you were mocking me that is, in fact, a correct use for the syllable of "gust" coming from the Latin "gustare" meaning to taste. Well done," Maura smiled at Jane's quick wit. "Try them with the fresh rosemary," she digressed.

"Come on, isn't it enough that I'm eating without the rosemary?" Jane whined.

"Considering the amount of salt you added, I would think any vegetable or herb to be good for you."

"Sweet potato!" She said excitedly. "That's a vegetable! Now let me eat my healthy food in peace."

Maura just laughed at the brunette sitting across from her. There was something about the Dirty Robber that always put them both at ease, particularly after a long day at work. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it.

"So, whaddya doin' over the weekend?" Jane asked as she continued to munch on her chips discontentedly.

"I'm not quite sure yet," she said with a furrowed brow. "I was thinking that perhaps I could catch up on some reading. I also have a little bit of cleaning to do. Do you have any plans?"

"Nah, just hang out with Joe. Probably spend the required amount of time with ma." She said, rather unexcited by her plans.

"I'm sure your mother appreciates you spending time with her. She worries about you."

"Oh… I know." She said blatantly. "What reading are you doing?"

"I haven't had much of a chance to read the New England Journal of Medicine the past couple of weeks, so I thought I might start there."

"Sounds riveting," she said dully, hiding the fact that every part of her big brain excited her.

"If you would like, perhaps we could do something. I recently bought a copy of Le Cont de Monte Cristo!"

"Ah, yeah…" she's hesitated. "We can do something if it doesn't involve one of your long ass foreign films."

"It's not that long!" She argued. "It's only 7 hours, approximately."

Jane spat beer when she heard that. "Only 7 hours?! Ah, yeah no. How about I pick the movie?"

"A little culture never hurt anyone, Jane!" She said, attempting to be persuasive.

"Hey!" She remarked. "Action movies are cultured as well! They're just… a different culture," she laughed.

Maura couldn't help but laugh at this also. And she had to admit, Jane wasn't wrong. "Fine! Does tomorrow afternoon suit you? Say, around 3?"

"Sure," She said with a subtle sense of elation. "Sounds good. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just you is fine," Maura smiled. She was finding that lately she enjoyed the time with Jane more and more, even when they disagreed.

••••

Jane stands outside Maura's place straightening her clothes. It wasn't as if she'd dressed up for the occasion, - in fact, she was just wearing skinny jeans with her usual cotton t-shirt and a jacket,- but presentation was important to her. *knock knock knock*

A few moments pass before the door opens to Maura, wearing black leggings, a white t-shirt and a loose, grey woolly cardigan that was open at the front. Her hair fell lightly over her shoulders and her waves perfectly framed her face. Jane was in awe.

"Hello Jane," she said with a great smile.

"Hey Maura," acting as if Maura wasn't completely breath taking.

"Please, come in," she said gesturing and stepping to a side. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Maur, I'm carrying two things. I think I'll manage." Jane laughed.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asks, trying not to seem rude by blurting out the inevitable film question.

"A beer'd be good, thanks," Jane mocks, enjoying watching Maura squirm.

Maura nods, silently, trying to restrain herself.

Jane just watches her friend as she gets a drink from the fridge, pulling the most uncomfortable face. "You seriously hate not knowing, don't you?"

Maura winces once again before saying, "… 'hate' is a strong word."

Jane just laughs and decides to put the poor woman out of her misery. She pulls out a DVD case from the bag and places it midway between them on the kitchen bench.

"Thank you!" Maura involuntarily exclaims before looking down. As she does peer down though, she is surprised at what she sees. "Well… this certainly wasn't what I was expecting."

"Yeah, well, I thought we might watch something a little different," she says smugly, immensely proud to be holding the upper hand.

"Um, so, what is it? I mean, what is it about?" It appears that the concept of it is beyond even Maura's current knowledge.

"Oh, it's a moving tale," Jane says in a posh English voice, "of a young family and how they grow together in their battles with the world and how they each become more wonderful versions of themselves."

Maura is confused, and she's struggling to hide it. Though she recognises that Jane's tone suggests she is kidding, it sort of didn't seem like she was. "Um…"

Jane, at this point, is just laughing herself toward the lounge room with the DVD and her beer.

Wishing not to become even more confused, Maura grabs the bowl of strawberries and blueberries, the bowl of chips and her wine glass before chasing after her. She tries to not seem so oblivious, "So, if that truly is the plot of the film, what does the title have to do with it?"

"Ah! Now you're asking the right questions! It is called "The Incredibles" for two reasons; One: because that guy's name is Mr Incredible, and two: because all of them _are_ incredible!" Jane smiles childishly.

"I see… I think." Maura says furrowing her brow. "Admittedly, I thought you would have picked an action film or something of that nature."

"Hey! There's action in it!" She says, defending her choice. She was tough, after all. "Nah, but seriously, it's cool. I mean it's got action scenes, and cool superheroes, _and,"_ she emphasises, "_and _it's something I didn't think you'd have seen, so it might be cool for you to watch something too." Jane was being honest, in a way, she did pick the movie for Maura's benefit. So, she could watch something different, so she could show her she still (and always would ;) ) have the upper hand, and to do an experiment of her own and see how her friend would react to it.

As the two women watched the movie, Maura was in awe of the smile that barely ever left Jane's face throughout the entire movie. And, to her surprise, she found herself surprised that she too was enjoying the film. Its light nature gave her this unconditional sense of unattached happiness. It felt as if there was no downside to it, and this was unfamiliar to her. Trying to distract herself from getting lost in unnecessary and unwanted thoughts of excessive self-analysis, she turned her critical attitude toward Jane to try and figure out why she did indeed pick this movie.  
>Was it because it appeared to have a relatively functioning family made up of strong individuals that she had drawn parallels with her own? Maybe it was because it was a light-hearted movie, where she could escape from all the world's hurt.<br>She was quickly realising that there was so much to Jane that she was unfamiliar with. And she found herself unconditionally wanting to know it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, it's finally done. Sorry this chapter took so long, but it's up now! <strong>

**Do let me know what you think! Pretty please. C:**

**Hope you're all happy and well. **

**PS  
>I'll spellcheck it tomorrow. I just wanted to update. <strong>


	12. Author's Note

_**Hey guys, **_

_**I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been reading this story so far. I hope you have enjoyed it thoroughly. **_

_**I really appreciated all the feedback I got. It was really helpful, from both a motivational and a critical standpoint, so thank you. **_

_**Unfortunately, I will not be continuing with this story. It's been such a struggle to write. My sincere apologies. **_

_**However, I will still be writing, but hopefully I'll be writing some one-shotters/shorter short stories. **_

_**Anyway, thank you again. You really are all so wonderful. **_

_**Hope you're happy and well. **_

_**CC**_


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